Jimmer Fredette left the Pepsi Center court after BYU's win over Gonzaga in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. Might he return to the Can in a Nuggets uniform?

In 2009, the Nuggets bucked a trend of not selecting a player in the draft or trading away their pick with acquisition of Ty Lawson. It was not a lottery pick. This year the NBA conducted its draft lottery tonight, a proceeding the Nuggets haven’t been part of since 2003 when they won the third pick, which turned into Carmelo Anthony.

This year, the Nuggets have the 22nd pick in the draft and potentially have needs all over the court. It will be interesting to see what direction the new regime under the direction of Masai Ujiri and Josh Kroenke chooses to take. No matter what happens, it may give a glimpse into just what the duo may be thinking about where they want to take the roster.

For the sake of this exercise we’ll assume the Nuggets will select a player. It’s not a terribly deep draft, but there could be a diamond in the rough or two available when the Nuggets pick rolls around. Who might be there? Here’s a snapshot of who might be available and of interest to the Nuggets.

Bulls guard Derrick Rose shoots over the outstretched arm of Heat guard Dwyane Wade in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Slowly, yet pointedly, we’re being told one thing by the results in these NBA playoffs – trust your eyes. They will lead you everywhere you need to go.

The playoffs have been a referendum on the notion of the benefit of the doubt. Nearly everything we knew, or thought we knew, about what to expect has been thrown out of the window. In its place we have Oklahoma City, Dallas, Chicago and Miami. One upstart, one thought to be has-been, one one-man defensive surprise and, well, the Heat.

It’s an unconventional Final Four in an NBA postseason that has bucked the trend.

After the Nuggets made their big trade, they only lost seven games – and after the Thunder made its big trade (for Kendrick Perkins), OKC only lost six games. Of course, the Thunder defeated Denver, its Northwest Division foe, in the first round of the playoffs … and now the Thunder faces Dallas for a chance to (I can’t believe I’m typing this) go to the NBA Finals.

Right after the season ended, Nuggets coach George Karl said: “We are very close to being as good or better than OKC. We have to wait a long time before we can prove that – it’s going to be a year before we even say that.”

But for now, OKC is in the national spotlight, beginning tonight up I-35 in Dallas for Game 1.

Chris Dempsey arrived at The Denver Post in Dec. 2003 after seven years at the Boulder Daily Camera, where he primarily covered the University of Colorado football and men's basketball teams. A University of Colorado-Boulder alumnus, Dempsey covers the Nuggets and also chips in on college sports.